Kaspar, K.(Department of Dermatology of the Ruhr-University, Germany)el Gammal, S.(Department of Dermatology of the Ruhr-University, Germany)Altmeyer, P.(Department of Dermatology of the Ruhr-University, Germany)Vogt, M.(Institute for High Frequency Engineering of the Ruhr-University, Germany)Ermert, H.(Institute for High Frequency Engineering of the Ruhr-University, Germany)

Ultrasound units that can operate at a high frequency and with an excellent resolution are required for the study of structures located very close to the skin surface. We examined scabious eruptions in 10 patients. The severity of the disease ranged from a mild rash to a severe granulomatous manifestation. We were especially interested in visualizing the burrows in the horny layer caused by scabies of moderate severity. For this purpose we used a 100 MHz unit with an axial resolution of 9 Ám and a lateral resolution of 27 Ám. We achieved good imaging of the intracorneal burrows, even in patients with the mild form of scabies. It was possible to determine the burrow diameter with ultrasonographic measurement techniques. In patients with granulomatous scabies, ultrasonographic examination revealed areas of relatively low echogenicity caused by inflammatory infiltrates. With 100 MHz sonographic units, it is possible to visualize - and quantity - changes in the horny layer in vivo. During our experiments, we even succeeded in visualizing small intracorneal burrows which cannot be made visible in vivo by other means. Furthermore, it was possible to determine the degree of severity and the depth of the scabies infection directly on the sonogram.

Back to the top.Poster Number PAkaspar0551Keywords:Sonography, Scabies, Horny Layer, High Frequency, in vivo